INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Northern Michigan University volleyball team tried to keep its season going Friday afternoon at the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championships. Playing the quarterfinal match against the Chargers of Hillsdale College the Wildcats fought back to stay in the match. Hillsdale took the first two sets (23-25, 22-25) before the ‘Cats took sets three and four (25-17, 25-21). That set up a fifth and deciding set for the match. NMU had the fifth set at five and 10-all and even the lead at 11-10 before the Chargers took five of the next six points to take the set (12-15).

Hillsdale is currently 24-7 on the season and will advance in the tournament to face the winner of the Indianapolis-Michigan Tech match tomorrow night (Friday, Nov. 20). NMU ends its season with a 19-12 record.

Mandie Meyer playing in her final match as a Wildcat had a match-high 21 kills. She had 56 total attempts for a hitting percentage of .196. Meyer ends her career with 1,213 kills which puts her fifth on the all-time NMU career list. Emma Wolfe recorded 14 kills while another senior playing her final match in a NMU uniform, Amy Andersen-Goldsworthy, had 11. As a team NMU had 64 kills in 184 total attempts for a hitting percentage of .201. Hillsdale on the other hand had 56 kills in 161 total attempts for a hitting percentage of .180.

NMU’s side out percentage in sets three and four were 58 (10-17) and 68 percent (15-22) respectively. The ‘Cats side out percentage in the first two sets were 58 (14-24) and 43 percent (11-25). In the fifth set it was 57 percent (8-14).

Abby Lovell dished the ball a match-high 54 times. NMU had nine service aces for the match with Lovell leading the way with a match-leading four. Cassie Osiecki tallied 28 digs in her final match of her NMU career. She leaves NMU with 1,856 digs which is a NMU career record.

At the net the ‘Cats recorded two block solos and 16 block assists. Katt Garvick and Sami Vierk had a block solo each. Vierk led the ‘Cats with five block assists while Wolfe and Andersen-Goldsworthy ended the match with four each. Andersen-Goldsworthy led the 2009 ‘Cats with 68 total blocks (14 block solos and 54 block assists).